On April 23, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Women’s tennis team battled against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds at Green Island Tennis Park. Though many matches were lengthy and hard-fought, the Eagles ultimately pulled through with a 5-0 victory. This match also kicked off the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament, ending with the Eagles advancing further into the postseason gauntlet.
Before the matchup, the team had been playing some of the best tennis of its season. They were on a five-game win streak, including notable victories over ranked teams such as 47th-ranked North Central College and 69th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. These wins brought the team to an 18-2 record before facing off against the Blugolds, and went undefeated in WIAC conference play according to uwlathetics.com. Players cited their coach’s emphasis on “confidence” as a key component of the team’s success.
“Every match we go into, we know we have the ability to win because I feel like you always play better when you have that confidence…Coach always says we know we’re the better team, let’s go and play like it,” said second-year tennis player Lily Jorgenson.
Players were not only confident but “adaptable” when out on the courts against the Blugolds. Wind was heard rattling the fences throughout the games, forcing players to overcome the conditions they faced. The Eagles would have to change their game on the fly when they were changing courts.
“Being adaptable is most important because when it’s not windy, we play the same game on both sides but when its windy, you have to play with two different styles” said third-year tennis player Izabelle Brinkman.
The Eagles were more than able to adapt to these conditions as they overcame them to a resounding victory. In the double’s competition, UWL swept the three matches played. Tasha Bailey and Shelby Roth won their match 6-1. Hannah Cady and Jorgenson defeated their opponents 6-2. Lastly, Maia Samuelson and Caitlyn Stader outlasted their opponents in a close 6-4 battle.
In singles, UWL won four matches, with two more being unfinished. Roth played in some contested matches yet prevailed, going 6-3 and 6-4. Stadter won her matches 6-3 and 6-2. Jorgenson played dominantly, only allowing one point, going 6-1 and 6-0. Brinkman played with the same intensity, winning 6-1 and 6-0. Both Bailey and Lauren Lindow competed in unfinished matches.
Selfless play helped fuel the Eagles to a solid win. With departures on the horizon, the team banded together to play for each other.
“This year a lot of our inspiration is coming from our assistant coach leaving, so we want to do this all for him, and a couple of us, like myself, are leaving this year so we want to do it for each other,” said Brinkman.
Other strategies helped the Eagles prevail in lengthy matches. Often players fight a battle of both mental and physical endurance as matches spanned over an hour long. In long matches, the mentality of “one point at a time” was a key strategy in the team’s important victory.
“Take it one point at a time, it’s hard not to get caught up in ‘oh I should’ve won that point,’ but it’s important to leave it and move on to the next point, because tennis is so unpredictable, you can play one really good game, and your opponent can flip it around and do the same,” said Jorgenson.
Later in the week, on April 25, the Eagles competed in the WIAC tournament championship against UW-Whitewater. Matches against UW-Whitewater were highly competitive as the Eagles were 2-0 in a 4-3 match and a 5-2 game. However, the team wouldn’t let the tough competition send them home.
“I just want to beat Whitewater, they’re our biggest rivals…it would feel really good to beat them. We’ve been thinking about this for a really long time,” said Jorgenson.
Another hard-fought battle was added to this marquee matchup. The Eagles were able to overcome the Warhawks in a 4-3 match. For the 16th time in school history, women’s tennis was able to claim the WIAC tournament championship. The win also gives the team a bid to the Division III National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, a privilege that has returned to UWL after a long hiatus.
“The last time we went to a national championship tournament …to put it into perspective, that was the year I was born, so it’s been a while for women’s tennis, but we’re due,” said Jorgenson.
During the match, key doubles performances pushed the Eagles over the Warhawks. Cady and Jorgenson won 6-2, while Samuelson and Stadter won their match 6-1. The team would split a single series 3-3 with wins from Bailey, Jorgenson and Lindow.
The Eagles’ next battle will be the beginning of the NCAA Division III tournament on May 8.
More stats and information on the team can be found on the UWL Athletics webpage.
